Summer Lover
by ajadedquartz
Summary: Haruhi slowly begins to accept her feelings for Tamaki, while he still doesn't understand what all of these different feelings and emotions mean. Before his third year, and her second year start, will he realize his true feelings for her? Different from the confession in the manga series.
1. Someday

Haruhi's first year had just come to a close, and a transitional vacation was now upon them. Before leaving Ouran Academy, the now second year student, bid her farewells, congratulated Honey and Mori on graduating and left the music room and proceeded to head home. Once outside, she took a small breath, wanting the fresh air to sink in. 'Only two more years', she thought. Each day she was getting closer to her dream of becoming a lawyer. For now at least, she could relax a little while studying a couple times a week to keep ahead of everyone else for her scholarship, and work every now and then. As she left campus, she heard her name from far behind. It was obvious as to who it was, it still startled her though. Turning around, she saw Tamaki, and he had a huge grin upon his face. He quickly picked up the pace that way he could join her. Despite wanting a quiet evening, she just couldn't turn him away.

Returning the generous smile, she then let out a chuckle, amused with how he just couldn't seem to stay away (even if it could be annoying at times). " _Hey senpai, was there something you needed?"_ She curiously asked. By now he would have gotten a ride home, so with him still at the campus, it intrigued her.

" _Well, I was wondering if I could walk with you to your home? I know school is over with for the year and I would hate to bother you, but I figured maybe we could spend a little time together for at least today. That is, if you don't mind,"_ he told her sweetly. She examined him as he spoke, but he wasn't over the top, and he seemed so innocent about the whole thing. Shrugging her shoulders, she gave a small nod.

" _I guess it wouldn't hurt, but it's not going to inconvenience you? I'd hate for you to walk all that way,"_ she admitted quietly as she began to walk alongside him. Besides, she figured he'd be busy the whole summer, and be on his way to France or to some important meeting his father was holding. When he shook his head, she couldn't help the smile she had grow.

Sliding his hands into his pockets, he sighed happily. It was a nice change. He was almost scared to ask her, not wanting to intrude on her personal time, but with how close they became over the past year or so, he figured she wouldn't have minded. " _Not at all. A little walking around doesn't hurt every now and then,"_ he replied charmingly. " _I… actually don't have anything planned for a while. Plus, I'll be staying here for vacation, that way I can try and spend more time with everyone since it will be my last year at Ouran. Of course there's always next year, but for these last two years, I'd rather spend as much time as I can with my friends."_

Immediately, Haruhi's smile dwindled into almost nothing. She completely forgot that Tamaki was going to be in his third year. They had all just celebrated together with Honey and Mori, she didn't realize that Kyoya and him would be leaving the following year. It stung her heart, but she didn't dare let it show, not wanting to worry him over her own feelings. It was odd; it shouldn't have been a big deal. They were all going to graduate sometime, but with him, it felt different. " _We'll just have to make the best of it right? To make sure we make even more memories to cherish?"_ She looked up at him and offered him the best smile she possibly could. Her response caught him by surprise, yet it was just like her to say something so motivating. The smile was the best part though. It caused his cheeks to go red, and he tried to laugh it off.

" _Yeah, I'd like that."_ He'd love the chance to spend time with everyone, but most of all, he wanted to be with Haruhi. He wasn't sure why. As of recently, he had been questioning this whole 'father-daughter' relationship he thought they had. Was it more than that? The things she did and said made him feel different things. Her smile gave him butterflies, her words warmed his heart and made it beat faster than usual. There were times when he thought he was sick, but when the family doctor would check him out, nothing was wrong. It made no sense at all, he just hoped it would come to him during the vacation.

Time passed and they eventually arrived at her apartment. The day went by so fast, they almost didn't want to say goodbye to each other. For a moment, they continued to chat, mostly about how they thought the school year went, and shared some ideas for the vacation until finally, both of them grew awkwardly silent. Shuffling in place, Haruhi began to place her key in the knob, and soon opened her door, sliding the key out and putting it in her pocket. Taking that as a sign to leave, Tamaki then spoke up. " _Thank you for allowing me to walk with you, Haruhi. It was really nice getting to spend a little time with you and to talk one on one. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night,"_ he told her softly, unsure of what else to even say.

Turning her head so she could look at him, she blinked a couple of times, almost forgetting that he hadn't left yet. " _You don't have to thank me Tamaki-senpai. It was nice having the company and chatting together, and I'll try, you do the same."_ She then entered her apartment, but before she could close the door, she noticed him moving closer.

" _Haruhi? Actually, before I go, I was wondering if you'd like to either come over or hang out somewhere this weekend if you're not busy?"_ This caused her to open the door a little and stare at him. She knew they would all hang out at some point, but just the two of them? It was both surprising, and expected coming from him. She already knew she was free this Saturday, so maybe it wouldn't hurt.

" _Oh, I should be available Saturday if you wanted to hang out then?"_ Nodding, a grin easily replaced his gentle smile from before.

" _That's perfect! How about I pick you up at 9:00am? Does that work for you?"_ It was becoming obvious that he was getting excited about the weekend already, and knowing him, he probably had so many things planned for them to do as well.

" _Yeah, that's fine. I guess I'll see you then."_ Bidding farewell, she closed her door, took a deep breath, and let it out. She was nervous, there were endless possibilities of what his mind could come up with, yet the fact that he gave her two options was what caused her to be in a slight panic. " _His place? What would we even do there?"_ She'd have to put those thoughts aside for now, since Saturday was only a couple days away. For now, she'd focus on what she would normally do around the house, that way, it would distract her from overthinking.

 **(Thank you all for reading my first Ouran fic! I've been rewatching it lately so I was inspired to finally start the fic I've been thinking of. I used to roleplay as Tamaki long ago, so it was nice being able to write for him again. See you all in the next chapter!)**


	2. Until Today

Saturday came, and Haruhi's alarm went off bright and early at 6:00am, wanting to make sure she had enough time to do her chores and get ready. It would have been embarrassing if she was running late since they made plans in advance. After she had showered, she was stumbled on what she should wear. For the most part, it looked nice out, so perhaps something light would be suitable. Of course, she didn't want to overdo it and wear something formal, after all, it was just going to be the two of them unless he was going to take them somewhere fancy… " _These damn rich people, getting in my head,"_ she mumbled, blaming them for making her so cautious on what to wear. Finally, she decided, on a simple flowing tank top with jeans with black flats. It wasn't much at all, but dressy enough to be a little bit more than casual.

Afterward, she started to prepare breakfast but was rushing since she was somewhat behind schedule. Every morning she would make breakfast for her father since he was usually out late. He has always done his best to keep a roof over their heads and provide what he can for her. The least she could do was help him out around the apartment that way he had less to do upon returning home. Once everything was complete, she set up his breakfast and ate something small. As she finished, she did the dishes, and soon enough, she heard a knock on the door. Shutting the water off, she quickly went to the door to answer it, and there he was. Glancing at the clock, it was exactly 9:00am. " _Morning senpai, did you want to come in for a moment? I just have to get my bag real quick and then I'll be ready."_

" _Oh, sure."_ Stepping aside, she opened the door more to allow him to enter (and upon seeing his outfit, she mentally sighed, grateful that she didn't go above and beyond with her outfit), and shortly afterward she darted off to her room. He closed the door for her and waited patiently. It was obvious she had a busy morning already, he almost felt bad for getting her in the morning, but at least he would know for next time. When she returned, he grinned.

" _I'm ready… oh, I'm sorry. I should have asked this as soon as you got here. Did you eat anything? I made breakfast before you came. There's a little bit extra. I just put everything in the fridge so it's probably still warm."_ Haruhi already started to head towards the kitchen before he could answer, but to prevent her from going any further, he carefully grabbed her hand and she turned around to lock her focus with his. There was no reason to overwhelm her anymore this morning. She didn't have to go above and beyond just for him. Tamaki admired her selflessness, however, and found it to be truly wonderful.

" _It's okay, Haruhi, you don't have to do that. I'm fine, don't worry. You've already done so much this morning. Come on, shall we go?"_ Staring at him, she was almost speechless. He really was something else.

" _O-okay."_ Letting go of his hand, she went to the door, opened it again, and made sure to lock it. Once they were both outside, she closed the door and he led her to his car. Still not used to whole chauffeur thing, she lowered her head slightly out of embarrassment but tried to remain completely positive. She didn't want to ruin their plans. As he opened the door for her, she thanked him and went inside, and he followed suit. " _So Tamaki-senpai, what did you have in mind for today?"_

He sat tall in his seat upon hearing her precious question. It was about time she asked, but he couldn't spoil everything. Some things were better left as a surprise. " _I'm glad you asked! Well, I thought that for at least today, we could spend time together at my place. So, I was thinking you and I could take a walk through the garden since it's such a lovely day. You'll really be able to smell all the flowers in bloom too. It's such a beautiful experience, I'm sure you'd love it."_ He continued to ramble on about all the different ideas he came up with, and she just sat there and listened to every ounce of it. Some of it was a lot to take it, but that was Tamaki. It was pretty amazing how he went on about it, and describing so much of it. " _Then, when it gets closer to the evening after we eat dinner, that is, if you wanted to stay that long, we could watch a couple movies. We could both pick one out. There's actually this really great one from France that I want to show you if you wouldn't mind watching it?"_

Honestly, she didn't have much of anything planned for tomorrow either, so staying later shouldn't have been so bad, as long as she let her father know that she would be home later than expected. There were premade meals in the fridge that he could heat up. She made them in the case something like this were to happen. " _I don't mind staying later if you wanted me to. After all, there's so much you just mentioned, I'd practically have to stay the whole day to just do all that."_ With a laugh, she began to grin. " _As for the movie, that sounds nice to do. I rarely ever had time to watch them with my busy schedule, so it'll be nice to enjoy it with great company."_

His eyes began to sparkle as he heard her confirmation for staying most of the day. It only made him more excited to spend time with her since they rarely got to. " _I promise Haruhi, you won't be bored at all. I'm so glad that you could hang out today!"_ Seeing how happy he got just because of her made her stomach turn into knots. Her cheeks were a light pink, yet, even if she was unsure of how to even react, it was nice to be with him. It was an odd thing to think, though they were practically best friends at this point. Spending more time together wouldn't hurt. Especially making him happy, that was something she wanted to make sure she did all the time, considering all that he has had to deal with.

" _I'm glad that I could too,"_ she replied. How _did_ she feel about Tamaki? Over the course of the year, there were so many things she started to notice about him. Then there were the normal things that he did that stood out more to her and caused her to sometimes feel nauseous. It made her curious though… did he happen to feel the same as her? Shaking her head to rid herself of these thoughts, she continued to focus on him, and could not stop smiling. It was crazy how happy he made her, but she wasn't going to complain, it was a nice change. 'Mom, I don't know if you can see us down here from heaven, but… today's going to be a good day, and I'll be spending it with someone that means a lot to me.'

The ride didn't last long, and before she could even tell, the car came to a stop and their chauffeur opened the door. " _I hope you enjoyed your ride Lord Tamaki and Miss Fujioka."_ As they exited, they both gave him their thanks, then walked inside. Immediately, they were welcomed by the entire staff but were quick to scatter afterward. Tamaki had notified them before he left that he didn't want to startle Haruhi with his lifestyle and wanted the day mostly to be between the two of them. For her, it was almost like the host club, but on a larger scale.

" _Shall I take your bag for you?"_ Glancing up at him, she didn't respond at first. She could remember how she used to think that he was overly obnoxious, but now, she really saw him for who he was, and he was so kind, and generous.

" _Oh um… sure."_

Taking it off, she handed it to him and soon found herself gazing at the floor. He took a hold of her bag and turned towards the family room. He didn't dare leave her by herself however, that would have been the opposite of a gentleman. Offering her his free hand, he laughed a little. " _Come now, I wouldn't want to leave you here all alone. We'll go put this away, then I can show you around the garden."_ Looking up at his hand, she nodded shyly before taking a hold of it. That nauseous feeling was beginning to return, yet she tried to avoid thinking about it. Nothing was going to happen to worsen it. They were just hanging out as friends, there was no need for her body to get out of sorts because of it.

 **(I'm on an Ouran kick, so I'll be writing a lot of chapters for this instead of my FMA fic for now. I'm not sure if I'll get the chance to upload another chapter tomorrow. I'm going to a convention this weekend, so I'll be gone. I'll try my hardest though! Also I had an idea of doing this music shuffle fanfic thing, where I'll write a fic based on a song. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed, and I'll see you in the next chapter!)**


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